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similar scene to the retreat of Balfour of Burleigh, in Lanarkshire.

Geology and Mineralogy.—The strata in the parish of Closeburn, forming a part of a considerable basin of strata ten miles in length, and nearly four in breadth, arise in a south-eastern direction, and dip to the north-west and west. The prevailing rocks are transition rock or greywacke, transition limestone, a coarse gray quartzy freestone and old red sandstone, of which the mountains, hills, and plains are composed. The red sandstone is the uppermost stratum in the low parts of the valley, and is nearly three miles in width from the river Nith, in an eastern direction. From under the red sandstone the gray freestone rises nearly a mile in width in the same direction; in some places the transition limestone; and last of all, the transition rocks, upon which the foregoing strata are deposited, rise to the height of 1200 feet above the sea. The only genera and species of organic remains are in the transition limestone; they consist of cornua ammonis, belemnites, and orthoceratites, and are the largest found in the island.

The limestone quarry worked in the parish, chiefly for agricultural purposes, consists of two beds. The upper bed is 16 feet thick, and is composed of 40 parts of magnesian limestone, and 60 parts of carbonate of lime, and contains no organic remains. The lower bed is 18 feet thick, and contains 88 parts of carbonate of lime, 8 of clay and sand, and 4 of iron. It is therefore peculiarly well adapted for building, as it takes a strong band, and hardens under water. This lower bed consists of a number of lamina, divided by horizontal fissures, between several of which a kind of stone marl is interposed, having impressions of shells, apparently dissolved. This stone-marl consists of about 10 parts of carbonate of lime, and has been successfully employed as a top dressing upon the light sandy soils in the neighbourhood. None of the upper bed or magnesian limestone is worked, as it is a long time before it loses its caustic qualities, by the absorption of carbonic acid. It is found to heave or loosen the soil when used for the growth of corn, and to produce an abundant crop of day nettle, (Lamium album.) These two beds are separated from each other by about 18 feet of bastard or impure limestone, and indurated clay employed for making bricks, after undergoing the operation of bruising, by passing between cast iron rollers. The alluvial deposits are sand from the debris of the old red sandstone, and quartzy freestone and gravel, consisting of water-worn greywacke and basalt,

brought down from the upper part of the river Nith. Large blocks of granite have been found, although there are no granite mountains within twenty miles.

The soil near the Nith, or lowest extremity of the parish, is sandy loam upon a higher level it is a sandy gravel, to the depth of upwards of 20 feet, and is well suited for barley and turnip. Above the greywacke it is more tenacious and less sandy, but equally well suited for the same crops. On this soil, composed of the debris of the greywacke, the larch tree arrives at greater perfection than the Scotch fir, which prefers a more sandy soil; but upon the red sandstone soil or sandy gravel the larch is liable to decay in the heart, and becomes covered with white moss after it is planted only a very few years. On the transition rock it is healthy and vigorous, and evinces no such symptoms of premature disease. The writer is assured by Mr Menteath of Closeburn, that the larch tree is found to grow indigenously in Switzerland, but never upon the secondary strata.

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Of the early history of the parish little is known. parish of Closeburn seems originally to have been of small extent, while that of Dalgarno comprehended a very considerable territory. The former belonged to the abbey of Holyroodhouse, and the latter to the abbey of Kelso, and formed part of the patrimony and spirituality of these establishments. At the period of the Reformation in Scotland, each parish was provided with a reader, and in 1576, we find from the register of assignation and modification of ministers' stipends, a minister for the first time established at Closeburn.

The patronage of both churches, as well as most of the territory of these parishes, belonged for a very considerable period to the family of Kirkpatrick of Closeburn; although by a ratification in Parliament 1594, King James VI. confirmed a charter granted by him under the great seal to Sir James Douglas of Drumlangrig, Knight, dated in January 1591, " of the advocation and donation

The following are the words of the register :-" Closberne.-Mr James Ramsay minister, his stipend, L. 75, 2s. 5d. to be payit out of the third of the personage of Kirkmado, &c.

"John Thomsoune, reidare at Closberne, his stipend, L. 20, with the kirk land, to be payit out of the third of Kelso, &c.

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Dalgarno.-James Williamsoun, reidar at Dalgarno, his stipend xvj lib, with the kirk land," &c.

of the paroch kirks and parochins of Kirkbryd, Durisdeir, Glencairn, Penpont, Mortoun, and Dalgarnok;" but the grant was thus qualified: "Provyding alwayes that the said Sir James sall resigne and renunce the advocatioun and donatioun of the said paroch kirk of Dalgarnok, to Thomas Kirkpatrik of Cloisburne, his aris and assignayes, "* &c.

In the year 1606, these churches were united by the General Assembly held at Linlithgow.+ They continued so till the year 1648, when the Presbytery of Penpont, after examining the rentals of both parishes, which were produced to them, and after hearing the "information anent the condition of the united kirkis of Dalgarno and Closeburn, wher ther is two standing kirkis, with ther several manses and gleebs,"‡ recommended them to be disjoined

*Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland, iv. 90.

† On this subject we find in the register quoted above the following entries :— "1608. Dalgarno Cloisburne, Mr David Rodger, minister, his stipend, iiij. xx lib. money, to be payit out of the lordship of Kelso, or ony part therof, be the Lord of Kelso, his airis and successouris, &c. and mair viij xx, xvij lib. xvijs. for the service at the kirk of Dalgarno, be Sir Thomas Kirkpatrik of Cloisburne, Knicht, takisman of Dalgarno.

“1615. Cloisburne and Dalgarno, Alexander Flemyng, minister, his stipend, iiij xx lib. money, to be payit out of the lordship of Kelso, or onie part therof, be the Lord of Kelso, his airis and successouris, &c. and viij xx, xvij lib. xvijs. for the service at the kirk of Dalgarno, be Sir Thomas Kirkpatrik of Cloisburne, Knicht, takisman of Dalgarno, with xxxij lib. out of the prebendaries of Lincluden, to be payit be the takisman and parochinaris of Carlaverock."

From this information the following is an extract:-" Dalgarno is a pendicle of Halyroodhouse. The teinds whereof (the minister being payed) did belong to the Bishop of Edinburch; bot efter abolitioun of episcopacie wer disponed for mantainans of the Castle of Edinburgh. The worth of the lands of this parochin, in stok and teind personage and vicarage, is about 9000 merkis."

"Closburne is a pendicle of Kelso, the teinds whereof wer a part of the rent of the Bishop of Galloway's, bot Episcopacie being now abolished, is assigned to the Colledge of Glasgow. The worth of this parochin, stock and teind personage and vicarage, is about 3000 merkis.”—“ Inde 12000 merkis."—" The two parochins upon the supplication of the heritors to the Assemblie at Linlithgow, in anno 1606, wer judged fit to be one congregatioun, and the union ratified by Parliament."

The following, among other reasons, are given by the Presbytery for the division of these kirks: "1. That the said two kirks wer united in the dayes of corruption and Episcopacie, to the great detriment and hurt of the church. 2. That the two kirks being in rent of stock and teind seventein thousand merks and upward, may verie convenientlie affoord maintainance to two ministers for serving the cure at the saids kirks. 3. The number of communicants being seven hundreth or thereabout, may be two flocks, sufficient for two ministers. 4. That the heritours being cited to compeir befor the Presbytrie, most part of them compeired, and could not object any relevant reason, (in our judgment,) quherfor they might not be disjoyned. 5. That the fabrickes of both churches are now in a gud frame, quhilk will not long continue if they should remaine in the present condition," &c.

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forthwith. The parishes continued disunited until the year 1697, when Dalgarno was again annexed to Closeburn.

Accounts of the Parish.-There is a history in manuscript of each parish in the presbytery of Penpont, drawn up, above a century ago, by a Mr Rae, minister of Kirkconnel. He has unfortunately done little more than commence that of Closeburn.

Eminent Men, &c.-Among the literati to whom this parish has given birth is the venerable Dr Hunter of St Andrew's, unques-. tionably the first philologist of the age.

Few parishes in proportion to their population have furnished a larger number of successful candidates for the ministry, there being at present no less than nine parochial clergymen of our national church to whom this parish has given birth.

Land-owners.-The chief land-owner is Mr Stuart Menteath, the male representative of the ancient Earls of Menteath. The estate of Closeburn after having been for several centuries in the possession of the family of Kirkpatrick,* well known in history, was purchased by the present family, at the termination of the American war, when agricultural improvements may be said to have commenced in this part of the country.

Parochial Registers.—The date of the earliest entry of the parochial registers is 1726. From 1754 to 1777, there appears to have been no register at all. This omission has been in some measure supplied by a register of baptisms, from 1765 to 1776, kept by an individual who was church officer, during that period, for his own use. This little volume is now in the possession of the kirk-session, and in some important cases has furnished the information required. At present, the parochial registers are regularly kept. There is also an obituary, with a corresponding register of every disease that proves fatal.

Antiquities.-Closeburn Castle is a vaulted quadrilateral tower about 50 feet high, 331⁄2 long, and 45 broad. There is a ground floor, the walls of which are 12 feet thick, and three series of apartments, all separated from each other by arched roofs. An arched roof crowns the whole. As it bears no date or inscription, its age cannot be correctly ascertained. From the plan of the building, and the style of the mouldings of the doors, it cannot be less than 800 years old. It is at present occupied by Mr Menteath's landsteward, and is a very comfortable residence.—A few years ago

* For an account of this ancient family, see parish of Keir.

were to be seen the ruins of a chapel, dedicated to St Patrick, which gives the name of Kirkpatrick to the farm on which it stood. -On another farm there are the remains of a vaulted building.There are several large cairns, but no account of any of them is transmitted to the present times.-Six years ago an urn of coarse earthen-ware, about one foot in depth, and nine inches in width, filled with human bones, considerably decayed, was found in a piece of garden ground belonging to the free school. Beside this urn was a smaller one empty, and capable of containing about a quart. It was raised nearly entire, but the other, in an attempt to raise it, fell to pieces. If they be of Roman manufacture, which is very probable, they must have been under ground above 1400 years. Both of these relicts were deposited in the museum of the antiquaries of Scotland. It may be added, that at a small distance from these urns, two other deposits of human bones were soon after found in a very decayed state.

Modern Buildings.-The only modern building is Closeburn Hall, the seat of Mr Stuart Menteath. It is a large building of Grecian architecture, and situated in one of the most beautiful valleys in the south of Scotland.

III-POPULATION.

One of the reasons in the recommendation of the Presbytery of Penpont for the disjunction of the parishes of Closeburn and Dalgarno was, that "the number of communicants being 700 or thereabout, may be two flocks sufficient for two ministers." I mention this circumstance, as showing that the united parishes were at least as populous then as at present.

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The progressive increase was occasioned partly by extensive lime-works which commenced in 1772, and partly by the improvements of the present proprietor: and the decrease, by these improvements having been in a great measure completed, which circumstance rendered it necessary for many day-labourers to go elsewhere for employment. The number of the population residing in villages is 628, and in the country 1052,

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